The average American releases about 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. A large portion of that comes from our homes and wasted, wasted energy. Matter of fact, according to a recent McKinsey study, the single most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions is via building insulation. Click on over to the Time Earth-Friendly Home graphic and move the lens around for other ideas to reduce GHG emissions and save some dolla, dolla bills. Before you click over though, I will say, this is pretty basic information, but at least they provide some numbers and illustrate the impact of concerted effort.

It’s been an incredible year in green news, and coverage on the environment seems to increase every week. Below, you will find links from the last year that I think are important. Unfortunately, tons of good stories didn’t make the cut because the links were broken and I couldn’t find an adequate replacement. Regardless, 2007 has been a great year, don’t you think? Collectively, we’re taking big steps to respect the environment. Republicans, Democrats, businesses, individuals, etc. Everyone wants to do their part. And even if you don’t click all, er, 151 links below, scan the titles as a reminder of what has been accomplished. Let’s keep the momentum in 2008.

Tom Konrad is an Analyst at Alternative Energy Stocks, where he writes about investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency companies. This article is a guest post for Jetson Green.

The December 6 Technology Quarterly from The Economist profiles a Dutch office building that is both heated and cooled using heat (or cold) from the asphalt of the road outside the building, as opposed to the more conventional use of solar thermal panels on the building’s roof. The article optimistically ends:

The result is cheap heating in winter and cheap cooling in summer. And there is a bonus. Summer heating softens asphalt, making it easier for heavy traffic to damage the road surface. Dr de Bondt’s system not only saves electricity, but also saves the road. Expect to see more examples of it, in other countries, soon.

I mentioned Nanosolar back in August because I found an excellent video about the company — they’re poised to dramatically flip this solar industry inside out. Today comes news that they shipped their first product and received an actual revenue check. This is a big deal. Thin film solar is incredible because it can be used more flexibly and produced at a much lower cost.

Their powersheet product was recognized by Popular Science as 2007 Innovation of the Year. Now that the product is a reality, we’re going to see some craziness. They’ve accomplished a slew of world’s firsts (below) and decided to auction off an early batch of product on eBay. Unfortunately, that’s all you’re likely to get because they’re sold out for the next 12 months! Better start your orders now.

Vampire energy, aka phantom loads, is estimated to cost U.S. consumers about $3 billion per year. I know, it’s not really that much … I mean, if you break it down to the individual level, that’s only $10 per person ($3 billion / 300 million). But the point is, it’s money that goes in the pocketbook of energy companies and their shareholders — it’s not going in yours. The chart above is courtesy of GOOD, the magazine that always brings a full-page spread to otherwise obfuscatory information.